October 31, 2012

Good grief! Preparing your family to handle your death

Imagine that today you pass away. Your loved ones
would be devastated, but they would, nonetheless, be called upon to tend to your
final affairs – arranging your funeral, managing your final debts, and possibly
even having to probate your estate. Will you have left your affairs in complete
disarray, or will you have set in place a plan to ensure that your loved ones are
able to carry out your last wishes with the least amount of effort?

When you pass away, your loved ones will be experiencing
grief. It consists of the emotions and sensations that accompany the loss of someone
or something dear to you. Sometimes grief reactions are so severe that they are
mistaken for signs of dementia or severe psychiatric illness.

Given the intense effect that grief will have
on your loved ones, it is imperative that you create a plan to facilitate the handling
of your own final affairs. In addition to establishing an estate plan, it is important
that you inform your loved ones of your plan. It is not necessary that you share
the its details, but at a minimum, the person you have chosen to carry out your
affairs should be informed as to where to find important documents, such as your
last will and testament and other financial documents.

Sometimes, it is a good idea that you do discuss
the details of your estate plan with your loved ones. If you have chosen to distribute
your estate in unequal shares, but you do not discuss this plan with your loved
ones, it is likely that your plan will cause hurt feelings and conflict within your
family.

You might also choose to establish a prepaid funeral
and memorial service. You may pre-pay for your funeral, and the money will be held
in trust to cover your final expenses when the time comes. When you pass away, your
family will only need to call the funeral home, and your plan will be carried out
with the least amount of effort required from your grieving loved ones.

The planning that you do today may prevent rifts
in your family tomorrow.